The Scales of God: Worship in the Marketplace Text: Proverbs 11:1
Introduction: All of Life is Liturgy
We have a tendency in our modern, pietistic age to compartmentalize our faith. We have our "God box," which we take out on Sunday mornings, and we have our "real life box," which contains our work, our finances, our politics, and our business dealings. We think that what happens in the sanctuary is worship, and what happens in the marketplace is, well, just business. But the book of Proverbs, and indeed the whole counsel of God, will not let us get away with such a tidy, and ultimately idolatrous, distinction.
The Scriptures teach us that all of life is lived before the face of God, coram Deo. Every transaction, every contract, every measurement, every word spoken over a deal is an act of worship. The question is not whether you are worshipping, but who or what you are worshipping. You are either worshipping the triune God of Scripture by conforming your actions to His created order, or you are worshipping a false god, usually Mammon, by conforming your actions to the crooked standards of this fallen world.
Proverbs 11:1 brings this truth down to the most practical, mundane level imaginable: the scales used to weigh out grain or silver in the market. This is not a verse about abstract theological concepts. This is about rocks in the bag. This is about shaved weights and rigged balances. This is about the nitty-gritty of economic life. And in this simple, earthy proverb, God declares that He is intensely interested in our economic ethics. He is not a distant deity, unconcerned with commerce. No, He is the Lord of the marketplace, the inspector of the scales, and He takes our business dealings very, very personally.
This verse sets before us a stark contrast. On the one hand, there is that which is an "abomination" to Yahweh. On the other, there is that which is His "delight." These are not neutral terms. They are liturgical terms, worship terms. An abomination is something that is ritually unclean, detestable, something that pollutes the holy space and provokes the wrath of God. It is the language used for idolatry and gross sexual immorality. A delight is something that is pleasing, acceptable, a sweet-smelling aroma to God. By using this language, the Holy Spirit is teaching us that our economic activity is either foul idolatry or true worship. There is no third way.
The Text
A deceptive balance is an abomination to Yahweh,
But a just weight is His delight.
(Proverbs 11:1 LSB)
The Abomination of Deceit (v. 1a)
The first half of the verse lays out what God hates:
"A deceptive balance is an abomination to Yahweh..." (Proverbs 11:1a)
In the ancient world, commerce was conducted with balance scales. A merchant would have a set of stone weights that were certified as a standard measure, a shekel, for example. He would place the stone weight in one pan, and the customer's silver or grain in the other, until the scales balanced. The system was simple, and so was the temptation to cheat.
A "deceptive balance" could refer to a few things. It could be a scale that was intentionally built off-center, so that one side was always heavier. More commonly, it referred to the merchant's bag of weights. The law in Deuteronomy explicitly forbids this: "You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small" (Deut. 25:13). The dishonest merchant would have two sets of stones. When he was buying, he would use the heavy stone, getting more product for his money. When he was selling, he would use the light stone, giving the customer less than what they paid for. It was systemic, calculated theft, cloaked in the appearance of a fair transaction.
Now, why is this an "abomination"? This is the same word used to describe pagan idolatry (Deut. 7:25) and perverse sexual acts (Lev. 18:22). Why does God put economic fraud in the same category as Baal worship and sodomy? Because it is, at its root, the same sin. It is a lie. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), and every act of deception is an act of satanic worship. When a merchant uses a false weight, he is saying that reality is malleable, that truth can be manipulated for personal gain. He is, in effect, trying to be his own god, creating his own reality where a pound is not a pound.
This is a direct assault on the character of God. God is a God of truth, order, and justice. His entire creation is built on fixed standards and reliable measures. The sun rises on time. Gravity works consistently. The laws of mathematics do not change. When we introduce deceit into our dealings, we are introducing chaos into God's orderly world. We are attacking the very grammar of His creation. We are saying, "God's standard is not profitable enough for me, so I will invent my own." This is cosmic treason on a micro-economic scale.
The Delight of Justice (v. 1b)
In glorious contrast, the second half of the verse tells us what pleases God.
"...But a just weight is His delight." (Proverbs 11:1b LSB)
A "just weight" is literally a "full stone" or a "perfect stone." It is a weight that is what it claims to be. It is honest. It is true. And this, God says, is His delight. This is what brings Him pleasure. When a Christian businessman ensures that his scales are true, that his measurements are accurate, that his contracts are clear, and that his product is what he claims it is, he is offering up a sacrifice that is profoundly pleasing to God.
This is because honesty in the marketplace reflects the very nature of God Himself. A just weight is a small picture of God's own righteousness and faithfulness. Our God does not cheat. He does not lie. His promises are yea and amen. When we deal justly with our neighbor, we are imaging our Creator. We are demonstrating to a watching world what our God is like. Our integrity in business becomes a form of evangelism. It is a tangible sermon on the righteousness of God.
Notice the connection between justice and delight. We often think of justice as a cold, sterile, legal concept. But for God, justice is a source of joy. He delights in it. Why? Because justice is the foundation of shalom, of peace and flourishing. Deceit and fraud create a society filled with suspicion, resentment, and strife. It tears the fabric of a community apart. But honesty and integrity build trust. They create an environment where commerce can flourish, where relationships can prosper, and where the community can be built up.
When a society is full of men and women who use a "just weight," it is a society that is blessed. When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices (Prov. 11:10). This is the foundation of all true and lasting economic prosperity. It is not found in clever schemes or deceptive practices, but in simple, boring, godly integrity. This is what delights the heart of God, and this is what will ultimately bring His blessing.
The Gospel Weigh-In
As with all of Proverbs, we must read this verse through the lens of the cross. For this proverb not only instructs us in our horizontal relationships with one another, but it also reveals our vertical relationship with God. The fact is, we have all come to God's scales with a deceptive balance.
We have all tried to cheat God. We come to Him with our bag of "divers weights." We try to weigh our good deeds on one scale, hoping they will outweigh our sins. We trim and shave the requirements of God's law to make them more manageable. We present our filthy rags of self-righteousness and try to pass them off as a "just weight." We are all, by nature, spiritual fraudsters.
And when we are placed on God's perfectly just scales, we are found wanting. The handwriting is on the wall for us, just as it was for Belshazzar: "You have been weighed in the balances and found deficient" (Daniel 5:27). Our sin is an infinite debt, and we have nothing with which to pay. Our balance is not just deceptive; it is utterly bankrupt.
This is where the glory of the gospel shines. God, in His infinite mercy, did not leave us to be condemned by His perfect scales. Instead, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to step onto the scales on our behalf. On one side of the balance, all of our sin, our deceit, our fraud, our abomination was placed. And on the other side, the perfect righteousness, the "just weight" of the sinless life of Jesus Christ, was placed.
And on the cross, the scales of divine justice were satisfied. God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our abominable debt was paid in full by His delightful righteousness. This is the great exchange. This is the gospel.
Therefore, our pursuit of honesty in the marketplace is not a grim duty we perform to try and earn God's favor. We already have His favor in Christ. Rather, our use of a "just weight" is a joyful response to the grace we have received. Because God has been perfectly just and merciful to us in Christ, we are now freed and empowered to be just and merciful to others. We deal honestly not to be saved, but because we are saved. Our integrity is the fruit of our justification, not the root of it. Every honest transaction is a small echo of the great and final transaction that was made for us on Calvary.